Special Correspondent
Panaji
Goa Forward Party (GFP) president and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on Saturday said he has held discussions with the Congress on alliance arrangements and seat-sharing for the forthcoming Zilla
Panchayat polls.
“Congress is the senior partner, and it will announce the strategies for the zilla panchayat elections as well as the seat-sharing formula with the GFP,” Sardesai said, adding that he did not wish to comment on any alliance with the Revolutionary Goans Party.
“We have never had a joint meeting with RGP,” he said, noting that the Congress and RGP had been meeting separately.
Sardesai said that in Goa, the functions of the zilla panchayat are not well-defined.
“If we come to power, we will dissolve the Rural Development Agency, which currently handles all zilla panchayat functions, and transfer these responsibilities back to the Zilla Panchayat,” he added.
The GFP chief said he has discussed the issue with Congress leaders and believes this would be the best decision to strengthen the Zilla Panchayat.
Recalling his party’s long-standing relationship with the Congress through earlier alliances, Sardesai said he would not apply any pressure tactics. “We will not give any opportunity to defectors, even though defections tend to take place during elections,” he said.
Sardesai also said the Bharatiya Janata Party is not free from “family raj”.
“The son of Shripad Naik and the daughter of Subhash Shirodkar have been given BJP candidature for the zilla panchayat polls,” he said, questioning why the opposition should not raise this issue.
Earlier, a key meeting was held in the city between the Congress and the Goa Forward Party, during which Sardesai met Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar and All India Congress Committee Goa in-charge Manikrao Thakare to discuss alliance arrangements for the Zilla Panchayat elections.
